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John Paul II, the Structures of Sin and the Limits of Law Saint Louis University Law Journal Volume 52 Number 2 (Winter 2008) Article 3 2008 John Paul II, the Structures of Sin and the Limits of Law John M. Breen Loyola University Chicago, School of Law, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.slu.edu/lj Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation John M. Breen, John Paul II, the Structures of Sin and the Limits of Law, 52 St. Louis U. L.J. (2008). Available at: https://scholarship.law.slu.edu/lj/vol52/iss2/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Saint Louis University Law Journal by an authorized editor of Scholarship Commons. For more information, please contact Susie Lee. SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW JOHN PAUL II, THE STRUCTURES OF SIN AND THE LIMITS OF LAW JOHN M. BREEN* INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 318 I. FATHER ZOSIMA AND THE LIMITS OF LAW ................................................ 323 A. Materialism and Alienation: The Characteristics of Modern Social Life ................................................................................... 327 B. Solidarity: The Human Person and Community ......................... 331 C. The Insufficiency of Mere Structural Change ............................. 332 II. STRUCTURES OF SIN AND THE NEED FOR PERSONAL CONVERSION ......... 333 A. The Phenomenon of Social Sin ................................................... 334 B. Papal and Conciliar Teaching on the Limitations of Structural Reform ....................................................................... 335 III. LAW AND THE PRIORITY OF CULTURE .................................................... 338 A. John Paul II and the Meaning of “Culture” .............................. 339 B. Identifying the Salient Features of American Culture ................ 341 C. The Relationship Between Law and Culture .............................. 343 IV. MODESTY AND MORALISM: THE SKEEL-STUNTZ THESIS ........................ 348 V. LAW, CULTURE, AND THE PROBLEM OF ABORTION: A CONTEMPORARY APPLICATION ............................................................................................ 350 A. Abortion Restrictions: The Pursuit of Justice, Not Salvation .............................................................................. 351 B. No Mere Symbol: The Effect of Legal Restrictions on the Incidence of Abortion ................................................................. 355 * Associate Professor, Loyola University Chicago School of Law; B.A. 1985, University of Notre Dame; J.D. 1988, Harvard University. I wish to thank William S. Brewbaker III, Richard W. Garnett, Michael A. Scaperlanda, David A. Skeel, Jr., and Lee J. Strang for commenting on earlier drafts of this Article. I am also grateful to the Law Professors’ Christian Fellowship and the Lumen Christi Institute for inviting me to present a version of these remarks at the conference which they jointly sponsored on January 6, 2007. I also wish to thank Mary Eileen Weicher for her valuable research assistance. Lastly, I wish to thank Susan Nelligan Breen and our sons Peter and Philip Breen, not only for their patience and understanding, but for teaching me, in their own way, the priority that culture can and should enjoy over law. 317 SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW 318 SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY LAW JOURNAL [Vol. 52:317 1. The Effectiveness of Modest, Contemporary Restrictions ........................................................................... 356 2. The Effectiveness of Abortion Prohibitions Prior to Legalization .......................................................................... 357 a. The Enforcement of Abortion Prohibitions by Prosecutors and the Medical Profession ........................ 357 b. The Incidence of Abortion Prior to Legalization ........... 361 C. The Law as Teacher: Beyond Simple Enforcement .................... 369 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................. 371 INTRODUCTION On April 2, 2005, the world mourned the death of the servant of God, Karol Wojtyla, who as Pope John Paul II served for twenty-six years as the Bishop of Rome and Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church. Many popular commentators saw in his passing the death of a “world leader,” a figure who loomed large on the diplomatic stage, a champion of the cause of peace, and a man who played a significant role in helping to bring about the downfall of Communism in his native Poland and throughout Central and Eastern Europe.1 While history will surely acknowledge John Paul’s involvement in world events, these descriptions fail to capture the essence of the man and his life, namely, that of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Like all Christian disciples since the twelve apostles, he fervently sought, through word and example, to share the Gospel with those around him. Thus, in the death of John Paul II, the world saw the passing of one of the great witnesses to the Christian faith.2 In virtually every aspect of his ministry as Peter’s successor, John Paul worked to overcome the tumult and confusion that defined the immediate post- conciliar era by bringing to the Church and the world an authentic understanding of the Second Vatican Council.3 Indeed, the major themes of 1. See, e.g., JOHN O’SULLIVAN, THE PRESIDENT, THE POPE, AND THE PRIME MINISTER: THREE WHO CHANGED THE WORLD (2006) (discussing the efforts of Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II, and Margaret Thatcher to end Communism); David Remnick, John Paul II, NEW YORKER, Apr. 11, 2005, at 21–23 (describing John Paul largely in terms of his opposition to world Communism). 2. For a thorough account of the late Holy Father’s life and work, see GEORGE WEIGEL, WITNESS TO HOPE: THE BIOGRAPHY OF POPE JOHN PAUL II (1999). In addition to his extraordinary record of formal teaching, discussed infra, John Paul’s love for Christ and thus his witness to the Christian faith can be seen most vividly and dramatically in his act of forgiveness and reconciliation with his would-be assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca, see id. at 412–14, and his public suffering and death from Parkinson’s disease and other ailments. 3. See, e.g., Tracey Rowland, Reclaiming the Tradition: John Paul II as the Authentic Interpreter of Vatican II, in JOHN PAUL THE GREAT: MAKER OF THE POST-CONCILIAR CHURCH SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW 2008] JOHN PAUL II, THE STRUCTURES OF SIN AND THE LIMITS OF LAW 319 John Paul’s pontificate gave concrete expression to many of the themes of the Council itself. This can be seen in his efforts to “confirm the brethren in the faith”4 by providing the faithful with a sound basis for a correct understanding of Christian doctrine and practice;5 in his efforts to ensure observation of the Christian Sabbath6 and prayerful celebration of the sacraments including, preeminently, the Eucharist;7 in his outreach to the Jewish people and his (William Oddie ed., 2005); DAVID L. SCHINDLER, HEART OF THE WORLD, CENTER OF THE CHURCH: COMMUNIO ECCLESIOLOGY, LIBERALISM, AND LIBERATION 30 (1996) (arguing that John Paul’s communio ecclesiology represents the authentic teaching of Vatican II); Richard John Neuhaus, Rome Diary: April 11: Remembering John Paul II, FIRST THINGS, June/July 2005, at 58, 62 (“Among the many achievements of the pontificate of John Paul II, some would say the most important achievement, was to secure the hermeneutic for the interpretation of that great council.”). 4. Luke 22:23. 5. POPE JOHN PAUL II, APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION Fidei Depositum (1992) (marking the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church), available at http://www.vatican.va/holy_ father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_19921011_fidei-depositum_ en.html. 6. POPE JOHN PAUL II, APOSTOLIC LETTER Dies Domini (1998) (on keeping the Lord’s Day holy), available at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/ hf_jp-ii_apl_05071998_dies-domini_en.html. 7. POPE JOHN PAUL II, ENCYCLICAL LETTER Ecclesia de Eucharistia (2003) (on the Eucharist in its relationship to the Church), available at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/ special_features/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_20030417_ecclesia_eucharistia_en.html; POPE JOHN PAUL II, APOSTOLIC LETTER Mane Nobiscum Domine (2004) (reflecting on the Year of the Eucharist), available at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/ documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20041008_mane-nobiscum-domine_en.html; POPE JOHN PAUL II, APOSTOLIC LETTER Misericordia Dei (2002) (on the sacrament of reconciliation), available at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/motu_proprio/documents/hf_jp-ii_motu-proprio_ 20020502_misericordia-dei_en.html; POPE JOHN PAUL II, APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION Familiaris Consortio (1981) (on Christian marriage and the family in the modern world), available at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_1981 122familiaris-consortio_en.html; POPE JOHN PAUL II, LETTER TO FAMILIES Gratissimam Sane (1994) (reflecting on the Year of the Family), available at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/ john_paul_ii/letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_02021994_families_en.html. The intimate connection between the sacraments of penance and the Eucharist was a theme that John Paul addressed at the very beginning of his pontificate. See POPE JOHN PAUL II, ENCYCLICAL LETTER Redemptor Hominis, para. 20 (1979) [hereinafter Redemptor
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